These Cars Are the Most Likely to Go 200,000 Miles

So you get your car paid off and you say, "Now I'm gonna drive this thing til the wheels fall off!"

Do you really mean it? And how many miles will be on the car when that happens?

Consumer Reports came out with a list this summer of the cars most likely to last 200,000 miles, and I don't know about you, but my SUV ain't on it. Any guess which manufacturers make the longest-running cars?

Yes, you're right. It's still Toyota and Honda. Those things keep going and going and going. I had a sturdy and reliable Toyota 4Runner once that I traded in with 88,000 miles on it. Whoops! Now I'm in another variety of SUV that has 82,000 miles on it and it's in the shop every other month for a leaky something-or-other.

Consumer Reports says the best cars for the long haul include the Toyota Prius, Toyota Camry, Honda Oddyssey, Honda Pilot, Honda Civic, and just about anything else under the Honda or Toyota umbrella. Something to think about if you're buying either new or used.

If you're shopping, the best time to buy a car is the end of something, I hear. The end of the year, the end of the month, or the end of the day -- it's all when the sales forces are the most likely to give their best deals to make goals and end on a good note. Allegedly. Of course there's always the chance that we'll run into that one brick wall of a number cruncher, and then it might be best to sleep on it and try again later.